Author Topic: USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)  (Read 6970 times)

Online gongora

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USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)
« on: 06/30/2018 10:54 pm »
2017 OSP-3 Lane 1 RFI
Quote
This special notice serves in determining if there are contractors capable of meeting the revised Lane 1 criteria of the Orbital/Suborbital Program-3 (OSP-3).
...
One of the original OSP-3 Lane 1 awardees has withdrawn from the contract, and the Government is looking for additional providers capable of supporting significant portions of the 400 lb. - 4,000 lb. launch requirement on OSP-3 Lane 1, in order to re-establish competition for OSP-3 Lane 1 task orders.
...
It is anticipated that if credible responses are received, a Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued and a source selection will be performed to on-ramp new providers onto the OSP-3 Lane 1 IDIQ contract. Missions will then be competed among the established providers resulting in Task Order awards for the remaining Lane 1 ordering period, through 29 Nov 2019.
...
Orbital Services Program 4 (OSP-4), a follow on to OSP-3, is anticipated to be competed in spring of 2019.

2017 OSP-3 Ordering Period Extension
Quote
The program ceiling for this multiple award IDIQ contract is $900M. An available ceiling of
approximately $600M remains; no increase in ceiling is included in the ordering period extension. The
program ceiling includes OSP-3 Lane 1 and OSP-3 Lane 2 efforts. OSP-3 Lane 2 is not part of this
extension and the ordering period will expire in Nov 2017. Any new efforts for Lane 2 are to be
acquired through the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Program
...
The OSP-3 Lane 1 contract provides launch services for 400 lb. - 4,000 lb. payloads. OSP-3 provides
launch services to the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) using commercial and Government
Furnished Property (GFP)(excess Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)) motors to provide launch
in 24 months from Authority to Proceed (ATP). The Launch Enterprise Directorate requires the 24
month extension of the ordering period for the IDIQ contract to provide launch for 400 lb - 4,000 lb
payloads to prevent a capability gap from the end of the OSP-3 Lane 1 contract on 30 Nov 2017 until
the Orbital/Suborbital Program - 4 (OSP-4) projected award in Nov 2019.
...
This extension will also include the ability to on-ramp new providers. Thereby, allowing increased
competition on future OSP-3 launch missions. A Request for Information (RFI) will be announced to
industry via the Government Portal (FBO) shortly after the publication of this approved OSP-3 Lane 1
extension J&A.
...
 the second
contractor on the OSP-3 Lane 1 multiple award IDIQ contract, Lockheed Martin Space Systems
Company (FA8818-13-D-0002), provided a letter to the PCO on 11 August 2016 indicating they no
longer want to be considered for award of future missions on the OSP-3 contract; therefore, LM's
OSP-3 Lane 1 contract will be allowed to expire in November 2017. This leaves only Orbital
Sciences Corporation (Now "Orbital ATK") as the one source capable of meeting the RSLP
requirements on the OSP-3 Lane 1 contract.
...
The following missions may be directly impacted if there is a break in capability when the OSP-3
Lane 1 contract ordering period expires on 30 November 2017.

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is planning one to two launches that will require
award in 2018 under the OSP-3 Lane 1 extension in order to support launches in 2020 - 2023. If
the OSP-3 Lane 1 extension is not approved these missions could be delayed by a year while
waiting for the OSP-4 contract to be awarded and subsequently the specific missions to be
awarded. A delay of this length would impact the cost of the NRO missions. These missions
support NRO research and development efforts in the area of satellite disaggregation. Delay or
cancellation of these missions would impact the NRO's ability to support future national security
space (NSS) efforts and the delay implementation of disaggregation as identified in the Space
Enterprise Vision (SEV). The OSP-3 Lane 1 extension is required to support the NRO missions
and by extension the NSS efforts.

The Space Test Program S28 (STP-S28) mission requires award in early 2019 under the OSP-3
Lane 1 extension to support the required launch date in 2021. If the OSP-3 Lane 1 extension is
not approved this mission could be delayed while waiting for the OSP-4 contract to be awarded
and subsequently the specific mission to be awarded. A delay of this length would impact the
cost of the mission. This mission will consist of several different payloads on the same launch
vehicle and will provide essential test events for national space situational awareness (SSA)
requirements. The OSP-3 Lane 1 extension is needed to support SSA requirements and avoid
potential gaps in the nation's space awareness capabilities.

The Operationally Responsive Space-8 (ORS-8) mission requires award in 2018 under the OSP-3
Lane 1 extension to support the required launch date in 2020. If the OSP-3 Lane 1 extension is
not approved this mission could be delayed by two years while waiting for the OSP-4 contract to
be awarded and subsequently the specific mission to be awarded. A delay of this length would
impact the cost of the mission. This mission will satisfy the Joint Force Commander's Need-7
(JFC-7) which identifies JROC-approved Space Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM)
requirements for cloud characterization (Gap 1) and theater weather imagery (Gap 2). The OSP-3
Lane 1 extension is necessary to provide a launch for ORS-8 so JFC-7 may be satisfied. If the
OSP-3 Lane 1 extension is not approved the JFC-7, JROC SBEM Gap 1, and JROC SBEM Gap
2 requirements will not be meet.

Original 2012 solicitation for OSP-3
« Last Edit: 06/30/2018 10:55 pm by gongora »

Offline Steven Pietrobon

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Re: USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)
« Reply #1 on: 07/01/2018 04:35 am »
So that is ORS-8 in 2020 and STP-S28 in 2021. Not surprisingly, Lockheed Martin has withdrawn from OSP-3, presumably because they didn't get any or very few orders. This leaves NGIS as the sole provider.
Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design #1:  Engineering is done with numbers.  Analysis without numbers is only an opinion.

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)
« Reply #2 on: 07/01/2018 05:11 am »
So that is ORS-8 in 2020 and STP-S28 in 2021. Not surprisingly, Lockheed Martin has withdrawn from OSP-3, presumably because they didn't get any or very few orders. This leaves NGIS as the sole provider.
That is the official withdrawal notice of the Athena family of launchers from OSP-3 Lane 1 and is solely a formality.

Offline rockets4life97

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Re: USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)
« Reply #3 on: 07/01/2018 12:51 pm »
Can someone interpret this for me? Which companies would be eligible to get funding under this program?

Online gongora

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Re: USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)
« Reply #4 on: 07/01/2018 01:34 pm »
Can someone interpret this for me? Which companies would be eligible to get funding under this program?

Right now Northrop Grumman (OATK).  They are looking to see if other companies (such as Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, etc.) are far enough along in their launcher development to join the program now.  They did a similar check in 2015 and came up empty but this time they might be able to get a couple.  They would only add companies to OSP-3 that could realistically compete for contracts being awarded in the next 16 months.  Companies that aren't quite there yet can probably try to get into the follow-up OSP-4 program when it starts.

Offline Vahe231991

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Re: USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)
« Reply #5 on: 05/18/2021 06:32 pm »
Can someone interpret this for me? Which companies would be eligible to get funding under this program?

Right now Northrop Grumman (OATK).  They are looking to see if other companies (such as Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, etc.) are far enough along in their launcher development to join the program now.  They did a similar check in 2015 and came up empty but this time they might be able to get a couple.  They would only add companies to OSP-3 that could realistically compete for contracts being awarded in the next 16 months.  Companies that aren't quite there yet can probably try to get into the follow-up OSP-4 program when it starts.
Since Rocket Lab has gotten far enough in launcher development, and Virgin Orbit carried out the first successful orbital launch with the LauncherOne after a failed first launch attempt last year, has Northrop Grumman decided to join the OSP-3 program?

Offline russianhalo117

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Re: USAF Orbital/Suborbital Program (OSP-3)
« Reply #6 on: 05/18/2021 06:33 pm »
Can someone interpret this for me? Which companies would be eligible to get funding under this program?

Right now Northrop Grumman (OATK).  They are looking to see if other companies (such as Rocket Lab, Virgin Orbit, etc.) are far enough along in their launcher development to join the program now.  They did a similar check in 2015 and came up empty but this time they might be able to get a couple.  They would only add companies to OSP-3 that could realistically compete for contracts being awarded in the next 16 months.  Companies that aren't quite there yet can probably try to get into the follow-up OSP-4 program when it starts.
Since Rocket Lab has gotten far enough in launcher development, and Virgin Orbit carried out the first successful orbital launch with the LauncherOne after a failed first launch attempt last year, has Northrop Grumman decided to join the OSP-3 program?
Note OSP-4 is now in effect.

edit/gongora: OSP-4 Thread
https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=48828.0
« Last Edit: 05/18/2021 07:18 pm by gongora »

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